WWII What If?

1. WWII What If? Presentation by Ms. Beard

2. Charles Lindbergh ran for and became President of the United States in the 1930s? What if…

3. Charles Lindbergh moved to France after the scandal involving his kidnapped son. While in Europe, he witnessed the positive effect the Nazi Party had on the rehabilitation of the German economy and society. Lindbergh became a Nazi sympathizer. What if he became our President during wartime?

4. Charles Lindbergh was the first pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean The History…

5. When he returned, he was celebrated as a hero. • Tragedy struck the Lindbergh family when his 20-month old son was kidnapped. He was found 2 months later a short distance from their home in Hopewell New Jersey. His son was murdered. • After this event, Lindbergh and his wife moved to France. The History…

6. The History… • In France, the Lindberghs had seen the effect of Nazism on a revitalized Germany in 1936. • Lindbergh toured German factories, took the controls of state-of-the-art bombers, and noted the multiplying airfields. He visited Germany twice during the next two years. • With each visit, he became more impressed with the German military and the German people. He was soon convinced that no other power in Europe could stand up to Germany in the event of war.

7. The History… • By 1938, the Lindberghs were making plans to move to Berlin. • News of Nazi persecution of Jews had been filtering out of Germany for some time, and many people were repulsed by the sight of an American hero wearing a Nazi decoration. Lindbergh, by all appearances, considered the medal to be just another commendation. • The Lindberghs decided to cancel their plans to move to Germany. 

8. The History… • Having returned to America in April 1939, Lindbergh turned his attention toward keeping his country out of a war in Europe. • Lindbergh saw Nazi victory as certain and thought America's attention should be placed elsewhere. "These wars in Europe are not wars in which our civilization is defending itself against some Asiatic intruder... This is not a question of banding together to defend the white race against foreign invasion.“ • “…our civilization depends on a Western wall of race and arms which can hold back... the infiltration of inferior blood”

9. The History… • “The three most important groups who have been pressing this country toward war are the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt Administration." Of the Jews, he went on to say, "Instead of agitating for war, Jews in this country should be opposing it in every way, for they will be the first to feel its consequences. Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio and our government."

10. The History… • Lindbergh was denounced as an anti-Semite. • His mother-in-law and sister-in-law publicly opposed his views. • Despite having resigned his military commission in 1939, Lindbergh was eager to fight for his country. FDR wouldn't hear of it. "You can't have an officer leading men who thinks we're licked before we start...,"said the President • By August 1945, both Japan and Germany had been soundly defeated. Evidence of Nazi atrocities against Jews shocked the world. Still, Lindbergh refused to admit he was wrong in his assessment of the Nazis.

11. What if Charles Lindbergh ran for and became President of the United States in the 1930s? Back to the Question…

12. We would have signed a peace treaty with Germany… • We would have stayed out of war (if we sympathized with the Axis Powers, Japan would not have attacked us) • The Nazi Invasion of Europe would have been more successful, because Japan would be focusing on fighting Russia (then maybe Operation Barbarossa would have been successful) • The Axis Powers might have won the war • We might have adopted anti-semitic views in our country on a more public and widespread scale Possible Answers…

13. If this topic interests you….Read The plot against america by Philip Roth:)